The present invention relates to doors. More particularly, the invention relates to compartment doors for recreational vehicles.
Every year, thousands of vacationers load necessary equipment and supplies into recreational vehicles (R.V.""s) and venture across the countryside. Many R.V.""s incorporate all of the luxuries of a permanent residence. These roving homesteads often have full bathrooms, ample sleeping quarters, and kitchens with sinks, stoves and microwave ovens. Integrating these numerous features into a road-worthy vehicle is a difficult task.
The overall size of an R.V. is constrained by Department of Transportation limitations and operator maneuverability considerations. Designers must allocate space between permanent fixtures and storage areas because of this size limitation. Storage space is limited because other fixtures consume interior space. R.V. manufacturers alleviate this problem of limited interior storage space by installing exterior doors that allow access to otherwise inaccessible areas.
Exterior storage doors for recreational vehicles have many inadequacies. Currently available doors have many pieces that require labor intensive manufacturing and assembly processes. These doors consequently are expensive for the consumer. Many small parts also increase chances for mechanical failure.
Expense and fragility are not the only problems associated with currently available R.V. doors. Some exterior doors have exposed hardware, bulky profiles or seams that cause additional problems. Exposed and/or protruding components of an exterior door can be easily vandalized or damaged and do not provide necessary security for compartment contents. They can also increase the vehicle""s overall coefficient of drag, which reduces fuel economy. Seams can leak.
R.V. manufacturers accordingly need a reliable exterior door system with few components to supply the consumer with a quality door at an affordable price.
The present invention is an improved door assembly for a recreational vehicle that comprises a mounting frame that has integral hinge pin lugs. The mounting frame is preferably integrally molded plastic. The hinge pin lugs on the mounting frame correspond to integral hinge pin lugs on a door. Spring-loaded hinge pins are captured within the hinge pin lugs. A latch secures the door assembly in a closed position. The latch may include a locking mechanism. The door is thermally insulated in one embodiment of the invention. The door securely conceals the mounting frame fasteners/hardware when the door assembly is closed in another embodiment. One hinge pin may be fixed to a hinge pin lug in another embodiment of the invention.